Page 77 of Deadly Target (Rocky Mountain Courage 2)

Erin knew the danger from the logs would pass soon enough, but what she didn’t know was if it would take Nathan from her. “Nathan!”

Once the logs stopped, a shooter remained—watching and waiting.

Should she race back to the truck? She glanced beyond the vehicle to the shooter and the cacophony he’d caused. He smiled—a sick, twisted grin. Behind him, other vehicles were turning around because of the onslaught of logs and the rockslide—the road was obviously closed. Did any of the drivers understand a shooter had caused the overturned logging truck?

She hoped someone had called for help. Erin covered her mouth and watched the last log bounce on the road and almost hit the truck but miss it on its way down the mountain. As for the logging truck, the cab lay on its side up the hill. Was the driver dead or simply injured?

All these thoughts raced through her mind at the same moment.

Across the way, the shooter was still smiling. Terror gripping her, Erin darted behind a boulder. She pressed her back against the smooth, cold surface and gulped for air.

A killer was after them.

Targetingthem.

Had he been the one to shoot Nathan’s father? Had he shot at them in Boston last night? They could have been on the same flight with him!

Carefully, she peered around the boulder. She would commit his face to memory, as much as she could make out from this distance. What was taking Nathan so long? She watched the truck and the shooter.

The passenger-side door popped open again. Nathan slid out onto the ground, holding a gun in his hand and her bag over his shoulder. He crawled toward the back end of the truck and used the log resting in the bed as cover.

“Over here!” she called.

He dashed forward and crouched next to her behind the rock. She wrapped her arms around him, good and tight. No words would come. No words were needed.

Nathan was safe. He was here.

Danger seemed to chase them at every turn. How many near-death experiences would she have in this lifetime? They were starting to stack up while she was with Nathan. She eased away and looked him in the face. Dust and mud covered his scruffy features. She smiled and chuckled as tears rolled over her lips.

Without thinking, she pressed her lips against his, her hands cupping his face. In that one simple kiss, she sensed all the passion he held back, and all the longing for him she could no longer ignore. But this wasn’t the time ... She stepped back.

He looked a little stunned, his eyes wide, then appeared to shake it off. “We’re not out of danger yet.”

“But you’re here now.”

“Yes.” He chambered a round and tossed her the cell she’d left behind in the truck.

She caught it. “Thanks.”

“Call the police.”

“I tried already and couldn’t get a signal.”

“Keep trying.”

“We need to take a picture of the shooter. Maybe he’s the one who shot your father. Maybe he shot at us in Boston too.”

Nathan peered around the rock, then his shoulders went slack. “He’s gone. The car is gone. Other cars have stopped and people are getting out of them. If we’re fortunate, someone took a picture of him and the license plate.”

“But he only shot at the truck or at us when no one else was around. They could have thought he was waiting to help.”

He sighed and put his gun away and offered his hand, which she took.

“I need to go check on the truck driver.”

Erin took in the disaster zone and the toppled logging truck. “Looks like a few others are already up there.”

He nodded. “I feel somewhat responsible for what happened to him.”

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